She's in jail after dropping purse — because gun inside it went off

In two and a half years, 21 victims under the age of 18 were accidentally shot in the state. Many of them were by their own hand or by another minor. Even more young Mississippians have suffered similar fates since the study ended.
Dustin Barnes/The Clarion-Ledger

Debra McQuillen, 58, of Philadelphia, Miss., was charged May 25, 2017, with possession of a stolen firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and simple assault after she dropped her purse and the gun inside it discharged.(Photo: Hinds County (Miss.) Detention Center)

An ambulance transported the victim, whose name was not released, to the nearby hospital's emergency room. Her wound to the leg is not believed to be life threatening.

Campus police arrested McQuillen and booked her into the Hinds County Detention Center. She was charged with possession of a stolen firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and simple assault — all misdemeanors — according to the jail website.

Mississippi has one of the most permissive gun laws across the USA, allowing a person "constitutional carry" privileges of having a concealed firearm without a state-issued permit. However, the building where the incident occurred had signs outside forbidding firearms on the premises.